webnovelfull Chapter 477 A storm is brewing in Qiandong City; a pot of warm wine suddenly appears at the Marquis&
Chapter 477 A storm is brewing in Qiandong City; a pot of warm wine suddenly appears at the Marquis&
"Hmph! They'll find out sooner or later," Baili Luochen said calmly. "Zhao'er caused such a commotion, it can't be kept secret."
But what good is knowing? The drug-man is already created. Unless Xiao Ruofeng can find a way to break the curse, sending any army will only result in certain deaths!
He paused, his finger sliding towards Qian Dong City: "Ye Xiaoying has encountered some trouble along the way. Qian Dong City is our base of operations; we cannot afford to lose it. Send word to Cheng Feng to handle things carefully. Also..."
Baili Luochen looked at Ye Dingzhi, who had been standing silently in the tent: "Dingzhi."
Ye Dingzhi had bid farewell to Shen Qiqi a few days ago and rushed back from Sanqipu in Yunzhou. He was currently waiting for orders in the camp.
"Nephew is here!" Ye Dingzhi clasped his hands in greeting.
"Is there any movement from Nan Jue's side?" Baili Luochen asked.
Ye Dingzhi shook his head: "The scouts report that the troop movements on the southern border are frequent, but they have not yet crossed the border."
"As instructed by my uncle, my nephew has deployed defenses along the Liuzhou-Wuzhou line, with five thousand elite Pofeng Army soldiers on standby."
“Not enough,” Baili Luochen said thoughtfully. “The Southern Barbarians are cunning. If they really take advantage of our army’s battle with the Northern Li to march north, five thousand men won’t be enough to stop them. I’ll give you another five thousand, making it ten thousand. You must defend the southern states!”
"enough!"
Ye Dingzhi raised an eyebrow, full of confidence, and said, "Uncle, there's no need to worry. I dared to lead eight hundred men to conquer Yunzhou back then, and today I dare to lead five thousand men to guard the Southern Frontier! The Southern Jue is nothing to worry about. Uncle, just focus on defending against the enemy, and leave the Southern Frontier to me!"
Upon hearing this, Baili Luo Chen patted him on the shoulder with eyes full of approval:
"Good child! Dingzhi, since that's the case, your uncle will entrust the South to you! As long as the South is peaceful, we can defeat the Northern Li army within half a month. Then you can return to your uncle's side and join me in the Northern Expedition!"
"Uncle, rest assured!" Ye Dingzhi's eyes were firm. "As long as I'm here, Nan Jue won't be able to take a single step north!"
Baili Luochen nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
Although Ye Dingzhi is young, his cultivation is extraordinary and he has a talent for military strategy. Baili Luochen can rest assured that he is guarding the south.
Now, the focus shifts to the main battlefield in the southwest.
Xiao Ruofeng, Prince of Langya...
Baili Luochen looked out at the night sky, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Order the entire army to break camp tomorrow and head north to Juzhou," he said slowly. "Since Xiao Ruofeng wants to fight me, then I will grant his wish."
"My lord..." Chen Dunru hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
"No need to say more." Baili Luochen waved his hand. "This battle is inevitable sooner or later. Rather than passively defending, we should take the initiative. I want to see just how capable this unparalleled military genius of Beili really is."
The generals in the tent responded in unison.
War is imminent.
At that moment, no one noticed that several dark figures silently swept past the Panzhou camp, disappeared into the night, and sped off to the north.
Those were Song Chen, Luo Qinghong, and Zhuo Yifeng, disciples of the Shadow Sect.
They were to relay Baili Luochen's movements back to Tianqi overnight.
Meanwhile, further north, in Snow Moon City, Baili Dongjun was practicing his spear skills with Sikong Changfeng, completely unaware that the assassins from the Dark River had already embarked on their journey to Snow Moon City.
In this game of chess, the pieces have been placed, and the players are in position.
What followed was the real battle.
……
Fuzhou is located eighty li away from Qiandong City.
The setting sun, like blood, painted its last rays upon the mottled bricks and stones of the city wall.
Ye Xiaoying stood on the watchtower at the south gate of Fuzhou, his armor still on, two swords hanging at his waist, his gaze like that of a hawk as he looked towards the twilight-covered wilderness to the south.
Behind him stood 23,000 Northern Li troops who had just finished their rest.
The defeat at Chaisang City resulted in the loss of nearly half of its soldiers, but most of those remaining were veterans who had survived countless battles.
Having eaten his fill in Fuzhou City and sharpened his sword, a renewed fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes—the fire of revenge.
"General!"
He Qingshan, the commander of the Double-Blade Battalion, strode up to the observation platform, the sound of armor plates clashing ringing out crisply in the twilight.
He was a man in his early forties with a scar on his face that ran diagonally from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth. It was left from a battle with the Southern Executioners many years ago.
"The scouts reported that the four gates of Qiandong City were tightly closed, and the lights on the city walls were 30% more numerous than usual."
To the west, towards Ironthorn Ridge, there were traces of large groups of people coming and going at dusk, but all was quiet after nightfall.
Ye Xiaoying did not turn around, but gently tapped his fingers on the patina-covered crenellations of the city wall.
“Bai Lichengfeng is no mediocre talent.” His voice was low and hoarse. “When we retreated from Chaisang, he must have expected that our army would retreat to Fuzhou.”
Eighty li... a cavalry charge at full speed, and they can reach the city walls in three hours. If he were in Qiandong, he would surely be on high alert tonight!
"Should we still launch a night attack?" He Qingshan asked.
"Attack!"
Ye Xiaoying uttered a single word, decisively, "Precisely because Baili Chengfeng thinks we will attack, we must attack even more. But how to attack and where to attack need to be changed."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the scar on He Qingshan's face: "Do you still remember the ambush we fought against Nan Jue outside the sea cliffs of Qiongzhou ten years ago?"
He Qingshan's eyes lit up: "General, do you mean... to openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass?"
"Not bad!"
Ye Xiaoying's lips curled into a cold, hard smile. "Bai Lichengfeng must have deployed heavy troops at the North Gate and East Gate right now—those are the only routes for those coming from the Fuzhou direction."
The west gate is situated near Tieji Ridge, a treacherous location; the south gate borders the Luan River, with its swift current. Logically, neither of these locations would be ideal for a large-scale surprise attack.
He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Therefore, I insist on choosing the South Gate."
"South Gate?" He Qingshan frowned. "Although it is already summer, the Luan River is still turbulent and over thirty zhang wide. There are no bridges or boats. How will the army cross it?"
"Who said we were going to cross the river with a large army?" Ye Xiaoying laughed, a smile that appeared particularly sharp in the deepening night.
"I will lead three thousand elite soldiers of the Double-Blade Battalion to cross the river under cover of night. You will lead the main force of twenty thousand men, making a big show of yourselves by taking the official road and feigning an attack on the north gate."
He Qingshan suddenly realized: "General, are you going to personally lead men to sneak in through the South Gate water gate?"
"At the foot of the south wall of Qiandong City, there are three floodgates that lead directly to a tributary of the Luan River within the city."
Ye Xiaoying lowered his voice, "I saw this three years ago when I accompanied the Prince of Langya on an inspection tour of the southwest. I was looking through the old archives of the Ministry of Works in Qiandong City. The iron railings of the sluice gate have been in disrepair for many years. They can be broken with gunpowder and internal force."
He Qingshan gasped: "Even if we infiltrate, three thousand men against the garrison of Qiandong City..."
“It’s not three thousand against the whole city.” Ye Xiaoying interrupted him, his gaze turning southwest. “My goal isn’t to break through the city, it’s Ironthorn Ridge.”
He Qingshan was startled.
"Medicine people." Ye Xiaoying slowly uttered these two words, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If Wen Yanzhao's three thousand medicine people are really as terrifying as the legends say, once they are deployed to the battlefield, even our army of two hundred thousand will find it difficult to resist them."
If we can sneak into Ironthorn Ridge tonight before it moves, find the method to control it or the place where it was forged, we'll burn it all to ashes in a great fire..."
He didn't finish speaking, but He Qingshan already understood.
This is a desperate tactic; Ye Xiaoying is still as reckless as ever!
If they succeed, they can turn the tide of the entire war in the southwest; if they fail, all three thousand soldiers of the Double-Blade Battalion, along with their commander Ye Xiaoying, will perish in Qiandong!
"General!" He Qingshan knelt on one knee. "Let this humble general go! You are the commander-in-chief of the army; you cannot risk your life personally!"
"It is precisely because I am the head coach that I must go."
Ye Xiaoying helped him up, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "The matter of the medicine man is related to the outcome of the national war! Ordinary soldiers might not be able to succeed if they go. I will go personally and act according to the circumstances, perhaps there is a glimmer of hope."
He patted He Qingshan on the shoulder: "You lead the main force to launch a feigned attack on the north gate. Make a big show of it and fight hard, but don't really risk your lives. If you see fire in the city or receive my signal, retreat immediately and don't linger in battle."
"Then, General..."
"If I can burn the medicine man, I will find a way to escape. If not..." Ye Xiaoying smiled, a hint of nonchalance in his smile, "then tell His Highness that Ye Xiaoying has not disgraced him!"
As dusk completely swallowed the last rays of light, torches were lit one after another in Fuzhou City.
Twenty thousand Northern Li troops had assembled, their swords and spears like a forest, their armor gleaming in the firelight.
Ye Xiaoying stood on the command platform, his gaze sweeping across the dark, imposing army. His voice, projected with internal force, carried on the night wind:
"Brothers! The shame of Chaisang City will be washed away tonight! Target—Qiandong City!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The roar was deafening.
Ye Xiaoying mounted his horse, pointed his long sword forward, and shouted, "Let's go!"
The army set off, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps blending into a muffled thunder, rolling over the bluestone road, rushing out of the south gate of Fuzhou, and speeding along the official road towards Qiandong City.
Shortly after the main army left the city, a light cavalry force of a thousand men, personally led by Ye Xiaoying, quietly broke away from the main force, turned southwest, and disappeared into the reeds along the banks of the Luan River.
……